Multiple Sclerosis: Types, Effects and Diagnosis

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most misunderstood diseases of this century. Since it's discovery, there is still no known causes, no proven treatments, and no known cure, yet it affects possibly five hundred thousand people in the United States alone. People need to learn more about this disease so it can be brought to the attention of the nation.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. It destroys the fatty myelin sheath that insulates your nerve cells. Without this insulation, nerve communication is disrupted. The body then makes this worse by repairing it, and clogging the area with scar tissue. Signals going from your brain and brain stem, such as muscle coordination signals or visual sensation signals, are slowed greatly, or just blocked off. Thus, a person afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis can suffer any number of symptoms.

Researchers are not sure yet as to the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. There is a kind of deadlock among scientists and doctors whether it's hereditary, viral, or a combination of the two, with the disease being hereditary, but with a viral trigger, or just a simple chemical imbalance in the immune system. One thing is certain, though. Some sort of defect in the immune system causes white blood cells to attack and destroy the myelin sheath.

There are five main types of Multiple Sclerosis. The first type is Benign Multiple Sclerosis. It is the least severe, has little progression, and takes up twenty percent of all cases. The second type is Benign Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. It carries symptoms that fluctuate in severity, mild disability, and it makes up thirty percent of the total. The third type is Chronic Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. It is characterized by disability that increases with each attack, and it is the most common with forty percent of all cases. Chronic Progressive...

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...MultipleSclerosis
Human Anatomy and Physiology
You pick up the telephone to call your friend. You dial a number which will, in effect, let the phone know where to send the signals. Except unknown to you, something has worn away the rubber which covers and protects the wires within your phone. Some signals cannot get through, and the ones that do are unclear. As a result your important information does not get conveyed to your friend. This is a circumstance similar to the process that occurs within the body of a person with MultipleSclerosis.
The name itself is revealing: multiple, more than one, and sclerosis, which refers to areas of sclerotic (scarred) tissue. Multiplesclerosis (MS) is a potentially debilitating disease in which your body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers your nerves.
MS is far more common in countries with temperate climates, including Europe, southern Canada, northern United States, New Zealand and southeastern Australia. The risk seems to increase with latitude and affects noticeably more women than men with the onset of clinical symptoms occurring between 15 and 50 years of age. It is the most common demyelization disease of the central nervous system. In the United States alone, there are at least 250,000 cases....

...Multiplesclerosis is a chronic, progressive neurological disease affecting all aspects of life: physical, cognitive, emotional, and social (Abma). It is known as an autoimmune disease, Where the body’s immune system turns against the body and destroys the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells. This damage to the nerve cells causes many problems for the patient including weakness, muscle stiffness, poor coordination and balance, tingling, numbness, tremors, blurred vision, slurred speech, and memory and concentration problems (Bren)
There are three different versions of multiplesclerosis (“What is MS?”). The least severe being relapsing-remitting; this occurs when a person has an attack and then there are no further symptoms until there is a relapse or another flare up of the disease (Bren). The next kind is called primary progressive; this is where the disease and the symptoms just worsen with time, each attack building on the previous (Bren). The final type is secondary progressive and this is a combination of relapsing-remitting first which eventually will become progressive (Bren).
There is an organization where people can get help for their multiplesclerosis, The National MultipleSclerosis Society. It was founded in 1946 by Sylvia Lawry and has over 135 chapters throughout the United States (Bartlett). The National...

...﻿MultipleSclerosisMultipleSclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder in the central nervous system that, effecting young adults, leading to non-traumatic disabilities. This disease starts as an auto-immune disease in which CD4 T cells cross the blood brain barrier and attack myelin sheaths of olygodendrocytes resulting in demyelination (Gandhi et al., 2010; Lund et al., 2013). Initially this is a transient process and re-myelination occurs, so initial stage of the disease is characterized by neurological dysfunctions that eventually recover. However this re-myelination is not permanent (Compston and Coles, 2008; Wakerley et al., 2012). The continuous immune attacks cause serious pathological changes of myelin sheaths hence disease progression and development of serious disabilities . (Makris et al., 2013; Wakerley et al., 2012; Hafler, 2004; Nylander and Hafler, 2012; Eshaghi et al., 2013). Peak age of the initial diagnosis of MS is 30 and the disease progress overtime causing a in decline in health and even mortality (Makris et al., 2013). Though it is subjective the average decrease in life expectancy of a patient with MS is 5 to 10 years after the disease is being diagnosed (Keegan and Noseworthy, 2002). Disabilities caused by the disease vary between patients and depend on the abnormalities of the neuronal track that is affected (Leray et al., 2010). Some disabilities include numbness,...

...MultipleSclerosis, also known as “MS”, is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). This disorder is caused by inflammation, the action of the body’s own immune cells attacking its own nervous system. Aforementioned inflammation damages the outer layer of nerve cells, also known as the myelin sheath. When this covering is harmed, nerve signals slow down or altogether stop, making life difficult for the victims of MS. “Although found in both genders, MS affects many more women than men. It usually appears between the ages of 20 and 40, but has been diagnosed at all levels of maturity.” (pubmedhealth) These people may suffer from a multitude of symptoms associated with MS including, but not limited to, loss of balance, heavy fatigue, muscle spasms, dizziness, tremors, weakness, double vision, tingling and numbness, depression, hearing loss, slurred speech, and difficulty swallowing. Symptoms vary from patient to patient based on location, treatment, and the overall severity of the disease. MS causes deterioration of the body, but does not however, make one’s life expectancy shorter than normal. Most victims continue to function normally throughout the majority of their lives, working with minimal disability for 20 or more years. This chronic and incurable disease is life-changing, but in most cases, not life-ending.
Although incurable, MS can be tested and treated in a variety of ways. A few...

...Multiple Scierosis in Society and its effects on individuals
News on multiplesclerosisMultipleSclerosis is a disease usually known as MS, and this affects the central nervous system- the brain and spinal cord. MultipleSclerosis is when the nerves are not able to communicate with the body. The central nervous system has a myelin sheath covering the axons, which sends the message to the synaptic bulbs for communication to the nerves. “The myelin sheath helps the axons sends its messages rapidly, and once the myelin sheath is affected the nerves aren’t able to correspond with the body. “MultipleSclerosis destroys the myelin sheath by putting patches causing muscle weakness and other symptoms.”MultipleSclerosis, a spontaneous disease, can affect a person during its adult years such as the 20s, 30s, and so forth. There is not any particular race or gender that receives it more than the other merely during one’s adult age. It has also been stated that the place where one grows up at can be reason why they are diagnosed with the disease.
MultipleSclerosis treatment has generated controversy in 2010, as it does not support an etiological role of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency; (Rituximab), a monoclonal antibody used to treat certain...

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MultipleSclerosis
SCIN132 - Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology with Lab
AMU
MultipleSclerosis
A disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) is known as MultipleSclerosis (MS) and affects over 2.5 million people worldwide. Around 400,000 people who have the disease reside in the United States. Of that 400,000 the ratio is roughly one woman to every seven men. MultipleSclerosis is a disease where the individual’s immune system attacks the central nervous system. The immune system attacks and damages the myelin sheath which is a coating that is around the nerve fibers which eventually attacks and kills those nerve fibers as well. Every signal that controls your thoughts and daily movements’ originate from the brain and the spinal cord, it is extremely difficult to move or even think when those signals are not properly functioning.
In October 2010 Courtney Galiano, a professional dancer, was a star on the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance,” she was performing beautifully, like a professional dancer should. Everything was going well for this 23 year old young lady, until one day she woke up and had no sensation in her legs. Courtney described the feeling on a Newsday interview as;
"My legs went numb on the season-seven tour. I thought I had herniated a disc or pinched a nerve, so I kind of ignored it. I didn't want to be taken...

...MultipleSclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It usually affect’s young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. MS frequency of occurrence is rare. Only afflicts about 10% currently about 400,000 in the United States and 1 million worldwide. The disease basically takes one of four potential directions once established. Relapsing remitting involves about 85% of those affected. Flare-up episodes with worsening conditions are followed by partial or complete periods. Although the cause of MS is uncertain it is considered an autoimmune disease. MS has been linked to various viruses or immunologic reactions to a virus, bacteria, or trauma and heredity.]
MultipleSclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disorder of the nervous system. Young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. The occurrence is rare and only afflicts about 400,000 in the United States and 1 million people worldwide which are at a rate of about 10%.
The disease takes one of four potential directions once the disease has set in and been established. Relapsing involves around 85% of people affected. Flare-up episodes normally have worsened conditions which are followed by partial to complete recovery periods.
MS affects the brain and spinal cord and damages the myelin sheath, which is the material that surrounds and protects our nerve cells. Once the damage begins it...

...Dietitians and MultipleSclerosis
Ryan Herndon
Kaplan University
Professor Seeman
June 26, 2012
MultipleSclerosis (M.S.) is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord
(PubMed Health, 2012). Approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people have been diagnosed with
M.S. in the United States (Schoenstadt, 2006). Every week, 200 new people are diagnosed with
M.S. in our country (National MS Society, n.d.). M.S. can affect each person differently.
Damage to the myelin in the Central Nervous System and nerve fibers disturb the signals sent
between the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body causing the primary symptoms of
MultipleSclerosis (National MS Society, n.d.)Symptoms can come and go without any warning.
An idea on how to help people suffering from M.S. is to have a dietitian either come to an M.S.
housing building or support group, and introduce a healthy, nutritious diet that will help decrease
the symptoms of MultipleSclerosis. There are many diets out there that can help reduce
symptoms and weight. Using a dietitian to introduce a healthy diet to those with M.S. can be
very beneficial because it can decrease their pain and exacerbations, and improve the quality of
their lives.
There are four different types of M.S. that people can have. They are relapsing-
remitting (RRMS), secondary...